BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 The trial of two men accused of causing a vehicle crash that killed two sisters and badly injured a third has been postponed again.<\/p>\n
Tevin Brandt and Gustavo Montoya, previously set for trial later this month, now have an Aug. 31 trial date, according to court records.<\/p>\n
There have been multiple postponements in the three years since the crash occurred. Brandt is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and Montoya is facing two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Both also face other charges.<\/p>\n
Early on March 4, 2023, Brandt, who had been out bar-hopping the night before, noticed his cellphone was missing and used an app to track it. Montoya, an Uber driver who had given him a ride earlier, joined in the search.<\/p>\n
The two drove separately to an area where the app indicated Brandt’s phone was located and saw a vehicle occupied by three sisters \u2014 Karime and Jennifer Duarte and Diana Ponce. They were delivering newspapers.<\/p>\n
Believing the sisters had Brandt’s phone, the men confronted and chased them, according to court documents.<\/p>\n
The sisters, in an attempt to get away, sped to the end of McKee Road, where their vehicle “launched onto Highway 99” and was hit by a pickup and burst into flames, according to the documents.<\/p>\n